How I Became
by lovely-narcissa
Summary: COMPLETE My own small hand gripped the silver chain that hung around my neck, the miniature cross digging into my palm; I looked down and to my surprise saw a warm trail of crimson liquid trickling into my lap.A Jane and Alec FF set in the year 1607Voltur
1. Fear

I could hear them. Their heavy footsteps pounded on the cobbles outside our house, each moment coming closer, a mob of townspeople, all wanting our blood. My heart was in my mouth, my breaths short and sharp. The fear I felt was immeasurable as I fought back the tears, careful not to show Alec my emotions. I glanced at him now and even in the gloom, it was clear he felt the same as I. His small, pale olive face, framed with short, thick, dark brown hair, was drawn and thin, his midnight eyes full of dread for what was coming.

"What will they do to us?"

Alec's soft whisper was barely audible, yet it filled the humid air with fright and panic. I tried to answer, to tell him that we would be okay, but the words caught in my mouth, choking me. It took several attempts to speak before I finally gave up, swallowing and shrugged my shoulders, clenching my teeth to stop the inevitable tears from pouring down my face. I knew what would happen. I had heard people whisper about it, glancing towards me, their eyes full of loathing, fear and curiosity. My own small hand gripped the silver chain that hung around my neck, the miniature cross digging into my palm; I looked down and to my surprise saw a warm trail of crimson liquid trickling into my lap.

Blood.

God help us.

We were hiding in the tiny storage room at the top of our small, crooked house. Alec was sitting cross-legged infront of me, playing with an old vase he had found piled on one of the many heaps of junk scattered about the room. The vase was chipped and cracked with a faint hint of what once may have been a flower pattern on the outside edge, he looked up at me with his large eyes.

"Jane?"

"yes?" I whispered back

"you woud tell me if something horrible is going to happen right?"

I felt a horrible weight drop in my stomach. We were twins and were rarely seen parted we told each other everything, there were never secrets between us, atleast untill now.

"No stop," I told myself, trying to rid myself of the guilty feeling that overwhelmed me. "You are just trying to protect him"

I nodded my head.

It was dusty up in the attic room and smelled of damp and rotting wood. The roof was right above us and the little light we had came through the cracks and holes in the aged, slate tiles. I looked up through one of those cracks, hoping to catch a glimpse of the moon. Had it been a clear sky, I would have seen a great white orb hanging there, giving me hope. But it was cloudy, the great dark shapes floating across the sky like dark angels, heavy and low in the almost sinister expanse of darkness.

That night was unbearably hot and sticky. It was mid-summer and the heavens had not opened for almost two months. Plague had savaged the small city leaving behind the constant smell of rotting flesh, always present was the fear of death, like a shadow, it followed you everywhere. I felt perspiration run down my forehead; I tried to wipe it away however some managed to land in side my mouth. It was salty hot, and tasted of the constant terror that ran through me.

I heard yells and cries from the street below and a loud pounding on our wooden front door. Alec's breathing suddenly ceased, his eyes darting everywhere before finally settling on mine. I looked at him and shuffled nearer, wondering what would happen when they finally caught us. I knew roughly; it would be slow and painful, but I was more interested on what would happen _after_. Would we get to heaven? If our condemners were right we would not. I knew that some thought we would be cast into the fiery pits of hell and burn for a thousand years. Others felt it more likely that we would be welcomed by The Devil with open arms, and be rewarded for our time on the earth, spreading his news. I knew this from listening to the conversations of the people in the streets.

"Devil's Child"

"Spawn of Satan"

"Witches"

"Murderers"

That is what they called us. Saying such through clenched teeth looking at us with such loathing and hatred I felt both intimidated and angered at the same time. We were not these things. We were innocent of sin, children not even of twelve summers old; but they feared us. That is what I could not work out.

Why? We had not done anything wrong.


	2. Capture

"Alec"

"yes?"

"nothing"

We sat there hand in hand, listening to the soldiers savage the house below us. Anna, our older sister of fifteen had come up about five minuets previous to tell us that the soldiers were demanding to search the house. "Be quiet," she had whispered to us, "and they may not find you."

Then she had disappeared down the small square trap door in the floor from which she had come.

Anna was tall and slender; with long hair so dark it was almost black. It fell to below her waist and was usually wound into a thick plait that hung down her back. She was beautiful, with deep, black, understanding eyes that saw into your soul and a rich olive pallor. She was the only creature in the whole of this unforgiving world that cared for us.

Our own parents had died three years previous along with our baby brother, Domenico in the last great plague.

We and our sister had only just escaped with our lives.

So now we lived with Anna, she cared for us and looked after us, defending us from the horrible comments, never giving up hope.

All of a sudden the floor on which we were sitting shook and trembled. A loud muffled sound, like men shouting rose through the floor boards.

They had found us.

Panic started rising through me, paralyzing me with fear and alarm.

No. the couldn't find us.

They can't.

No.

I looked at Alec, his face mirroring how it felt, sick with fright.

I felt dizzy, the room was spinning.

I heard a loud crack of splintering wood, the sound of triumphant voices and suddenly the trap door burst open revealing the great ugly head of a soldier, his black, crewel, beetle-like eyes scanning the murky room for any sign of life. I pulled Alec back behind one of the boxes of stuff that crowded the small room , shrinking into the shadows, trying to blend in with the dark wall behind us. I held my breath hoping and praying that he would not spy us.

I twisted my head towards my brother, however in doing so; brushed against the small pottery vase Alec had been playing with only moments before. It wobbled then teetered on one edge before toppling over. The thin, cheap pottery smashed the instant it touched the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

The soldier who had just been about to head back down the hole, looked sharply up towards the place we were sitting. With a loud, victorious cry he jumped out of the hole and charged towards us. The rest happened to fast to comprehend. I heard a cry of despair from below us-Anna- and what seemed like a thousand big, burly men in crimson uniforms, come rushing towards us. They dug us out, brutally lifting us up and tying together our hands and feet. Struggling and kicking they carried us back down the hole. I yelled and screamed so much they resorted to tying a piece of dirty green cloth around my head, gagging me.

"ANNA!"

I tried to scream through the piece of dirty fabric. I saw her, tears streaming down her near perfect face, pleading what looked like the General to let us go. When he shook his head Anna started to scream in anguish, demanding and begging for us to be released.

Suddenly the General turned and slapped her sharply on the cheek, leaving a great red mark. I felt the anger and rage boiling inside me until I found myself wishing with all my might that I could hurt the horrible man as much as possible. I glared at him, wishing and yearning. Suddenly, he dropped Alec and started shaking and rocking forward and back uncontrollably, as if in a trance, a look of both pain and fear written across his face. What was happening? Gradually he started to calm down, then taking several deep breaths, he collapsed.

I stared at him in wonder. Had I done that? I saw Alec lying on the looking at me with such awe and wonder. I had done that. But instead of feeling guilty and shocked at having done such a terrible thing to a fellow human, I felt as if I was flying. A great wave of relief came over me, like a great weight being lifted from my shoulders.

A loud thunder clap sounded above us and the rain started. It thundered down like stones immediately covering everything and pooling in the ditches, leaking through the roof.

All at once, the soldiers started yelling, screaming about witchcraft and sorcery. None of them would go near me, but instead held me at knife point, trying to force me out into the stormy night. I protested, screaming and yelling for my brother and sister. There was a loud thunking noise, the smash of glass and the warm trickle of blood flowing from my temples.

I passed out.


	3. Memories

They say that waiting for death is worse than dying.

I can sympathise with whoever said that because it's true.

I was sitting on our cell floor,( a bad move considering all the dirt and worse that was on it,) staring at the stone wall opposite and trying to count the bricks. Before he had died, my father had tried to teach me and Alec some numbers and letters. I however, wasn't very good and could only count to twenty three and write "my name is Jane" in wobbly handwriting.

I had a Biblical name; it was foreign and very unusual for our area. Father said that I was named after his grandma, who had been English. He had explained that she had moved to our city when she was seven and had married a local boy. I wondered what she would have thought of me, and if she was anything like me at all.

It was cold in the cell and my bum hurt from sitting on the filthy cobbles for so long. I also had a raging head-ache from where one of those stupid soldiers had hit me on the head with a glass bottle. I had woken up in this room to see Alec bending over me and shaking my shoulder. He looked as if he had been crying. I had asked him what was wrong and he answered,

"I thought you were dead."

That was about four hours ago and he hasn't spoken to me since.

The room was small and square with a high ceiling about three times as tall as I was. There was a single, barred window at the top of one of those walls that let in rain, light and humid air into our cell. I occasionally saw people's feet or donkey hooves pass by so I assumed we were just below ground level.

There was a door the opposite side of the room and unless you sawed through the iron bars at the window, was the only way out. I knew for a fact that it was locked and barred on the other side and was as thick as my little finger was long. A guard had come in soon after Alec woke me up to give us dry crusts and to tell us that they would come for us at dawn. I sighed and shivered, for even though the night was warm, the foreboding room had a cold breeze blowing through it. I rubbed my arms trying with all my might, trying not to let my mind stray to the day that inevitably lay before us. Instead I tried to think of the happy times before mother and father had died. Maybe if they _were_ alive I would be asleep right now in my bed, with only the worries any normal eleven year old girl should have.

I stood up and reaching on tip toes to catch a glimpse of the world outside our holding.

It was almost dawn now. From what I could see of the morning through the window, the day was cloudy and the sky tinted pink. It smelled fresher and the air was a lot cooler than I had been when they had arrived at our house. The storm had cleared the air well and I could hear the fist birds singing first light.

Without warning there was a sniff from somewhere over my shoulder. I jumped with fright, spinning round on the spot. it was Alec, standing behind me. I looked at him surprised for I hadn't thought of him much since he had rouse me from my sleep. Seeing him in this new-found light, he looked unkempt, his short, dark brown hair messy and his face splodged with tear stains. For some reason I avoided looking at him directly at first, hoping he would drop his gaze that was fixed on my own face. He didn't however and after sometime I had to look up.

His normal deep brown calm eyes were filled with rage, his pale olive skin flushed and hot.

"What?" I asked confused, his anger scared me. I was the oldest by only a couple of hours, but I was always the leader, always the one in charge. Now I stared at this un-known boy, feeling more inferior than I had ever done in my life before.

"You lied to me."

The words rushed through his lips almost snarling, with such force and resentment I was shocked.

"I-I-I" I tried to stutter but my tongue wouldn't, work the words I had meant to say tumbled and twisted in my mouth.

"I thought there were no secrets"

"Alec I…"

He cut me off.

"You knew all along didn't you?"

Each syllable cut into me like a knife, wounding me. I couldn't understand why he was _so_ angry. I stood there dumbfounded (_A/N: I love that word :D lol)_ unable to speak or move. He continued.

"you knew all along that it would come to this, ever since that day at the market, you knew"

The last two words were a big contrast to the rest of his speech. Sorrowful and filled with pain. He faltered and then said in a voce that was barley more than a whisper;

"Jane, we are going to die."

I could see tears forming in his eyes again as he remembered a day that I had not thought about for years;

_I stand there looking at the dregs of the market. The day is almost at a close and most of the stall holders are packing up. Alec is next to me. We are about seven summers, it is the few weeks before the plague starts. I watch people go about their business, ignoring us children__, just as they always had. _

_Suddenly there is a yell from around the corner. Alec and I look at each other and start running towards the source of the noise. Then we see it. A crowd is gathering around one stall in particular. The slave traders stall._

_We push through the throng of people, wanting to see the action. The trader, a big bearded man with a scar running down the whole of the left side of his face, is towering over a small African girl, not much younger than ourselves. He has a whip in his hand and he is yelling at her. No body like the slave trader. He is a bad enemy. Sometimes children go missing and are then reported to have been seen on one of his boats. It can never be proved through. He is big and fierce and nobody would dare to cross him. He is yelling at the poor girl and striking her across the face. I feel Alec next to me shaking with anger, his fists clenched tight._

_All__ of a sudden the trader stops mid swing and drops the whip, falling to his knees. His face is completely blank. The crowd is silent, you could have heard a pin drop._

_The man seems to be choking; no he is trying to speak. He raises one quivering handas though it takes all the effort in the world and points. It wanders over the crowd, seeking. Then it stops the crowd parts like the Red Sea and it is obvious who he is pointing at. _

_Alec._

_I look at him in mild shock. It can be _Alec _doing that!_

_He is standing the paler than he is normally, almost snow white. He looks calm but his terrified eyes tell a different story._

The scraping of keys in the door brought me abruptly back down to earth. All of a sudden, I realise that I was clutching my pendent again. The edges were sharp and cut into me.

I stared from the door at the far side of the room to Alec and back again. His eyes look just like they did that day so many years ago.

Scared stiff and frightened.


	4. Trial

The door swung open to reveal a tall muscular man almost as wide as the door itself. He had long greasy black hair that was tied by a piece of grey matted ribbon at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a crewel grey colour and his skin a dirty white, as if he hadn't washed in months. He lumbered into our cell as if he wasn't used to walking. In his right hand he carried a whip, not dissimilar to the one the slave trader had carried all those years ago. He surveyed the room with great distaste before looking directly at Alec and i.

He emitted a low growling noise from the base of his throat and spat out;

"You're coming wiv' me" he had a foreign accent, French maybe.

We stood there frozen with shock. His voice echoed around the stone walls sounding sinister. When we didn't move he lumbered at us, grabbing us, one in each large dirty hand and dragged us towards the exit.

He smelled hideous, and the nails on each sausage like finger were encrusted with dirt and crime. He half carried us, half pulled us out of the door and down a set of cold stone steps. His clutch was suffocating me, making it harder and harder to breath. I started chocking and gasping for air, however instead of loosening his grip, he tightened it.

We were carried down passageway after passageway until I thought we could go on no further. Suddenly we were out in open space, the warm sun beating down on my poor eyes and body and then the sun was gone, and we were back inside walls. The big man dropped us on the floor of another cell where immediately we were shackled and pushed into a corner.

I lay on the floor gasping and weeping. My back, arms, legs and throat all hurt like hell and it was several minuets before I had enough strength to lift my self and sit up.

I examined the small room and to my surprise saw two or three other people sitting quietly in a corner also watching. But with one difference. They were watching me.

We all sat there in silence, Alec clutching my hand and I my pendant.

The room was similar to the one we had been in previously, however it was cleaner with a bench in one corner. I stared at my fellow occupants. All of them looked drawn and thin with sunken eyes. There was a lady of about 25 years, and two me, one of which was very, very old.

I don't know how long we sat there for but one by one the other people escorted out of the room by the guards. They didn't come back.

Then it was our turn. It was the same foreign guard who brought us there, that accompanied us to our next stop. His big bulk lead us down corridors we had already come and round corners and through so many passageways, I lost count. Then finally we came to a great big set of wooden doors. We were pushed through these and into a big room.

A court room.

I don't really remember anything about that hour or so. It passed in a trance, as if I was looking into someone else's memories. I stood there staring at the judge speaking when spoken to. Then it was over. The court had decided. We were lead away, once more, our fate now decided.

But there were no more tears for me to cry.

We were lead back to our original cell. I barley noticed this time how hard the brutish guard gripped me. Everything was blurred. Nothing made any sense any more.

I vaguely sensed Alec next to me. Even through my tear distorted vision I could see that he was in a similar state to me. Soon three or so guards came for us, their muscled bodies guarding from us any means of escape. Even if I wanted to I didn't have the faith to try and escape.

They took us to a crowded square, the market. People were bustling, yelling and booing. I think that they may have been throwing things at us also, but I didn't notice or care. We were taken to a wooden post with bundles of wood to surround it. Then we were told to climb into the middle of it and stand againt the pole, on either sides. We did this and I remember thinking and praying to God, just as I had less than twenty four hours previous that my death would be quick. I felt my wrists and ankles being tied to Alec's behind me and more bundles of wood being thrown onto the already large pile. Then a priest read out a short sermon on how he hoped that God would eventually forgive us of our sins an

"JANE!"

the piecing scream was audible even through the riotous crowd. My eyes shot open, looking for the first time at the scene before me. A tall girl with long dark hair was tying to get to us. Pushing her way through the relentless throng of people.

"JANE" she screamed again "ALEC!"

It was Anna.

Her beautiful face was torn with anger, pain and sadness. She had deep circled under her striking eyes as though she hadn't been able to sleep for weeks and her skin was and un-healthy pale colour. She was crying with all her might, her arms reaching out to me, us.

Then they lit the fire, I heard the whooshing sound before the pain came. Anna's blood curdling, remorseful scream washed over the now silent crowd. I felt my clothes start to catch fire, tendrils of smoke and flame shooting us my legs. The feeling was horricic. As though I had been sent straight to the gates of hell. I didn't scream. What use would it do?

I tried to tune it out. The jearing crowd, Anna's cried, the pain, my memories of my short life. All of it. I clamped my mouth shut, welcoming death and the release from the unbearable pain.


	5. Angel

I slipped in and out of consciousness, not focusing on anything, the blaze consuming me and overwhelming me. Whenever I came back into one of my conscious moments I tried to pick out Anna's sweet, yet terrible screaming voice from the din of the crowd. Eventually however, the screams and shouts died away, growing fainter and fainter, more distant and I felt myself drifting, floating into the unknown.

Suddenly for some reason I couldn't quite understand, I opened my eyes. The thick smoke burnt and stung them, suffocating me. I couldn't see anything, everywhere just one great mass of greyish white fog. No, wait, there _was_ something there. A black figure was walking slowly, yet gracefully towards me, seemingly to melt out of the impenetrable smog. Its edges were blurred and I was only just able to tell that it was of human form. Was this cloudy, terrible place Heaven or Hell? And if it was Heaven, was the figure an angel, or God? I tried to cry out, ask it who it was, but as soon as I opened my mouth, I felt the solid, smoggy smoke rush into my mouth, overriding my lungs. I coughed uncontrollably, everything was spinning.

I looked up to search for the figure again, but it was not there. I was confused, suddenly feeling more alone than I ever had before. I looked around seeking it, hunting.

"Child"

The voice came from over my right shoulder, and in that single syllable I knew two things; one, it was the shadowy figure's –or Angel's if that was what It was- voice that I could hear and two, that the Angle was male. He spoke quietly, so soft and alluring, musical even.

"What is your name child?" He enquired;.

"J-Jane" I spluttered in reply. My voice was barely more than a cracked whisper, hardly audible for my ears but my angle seemed to hear it for he nodded. He paused, caressing my shoulder with smooth, long, white figures as hard as marble. They were icy cold, as if he had run them under freezing water. They felt nice in contrast to the burning heat all around me and I tried to turn around, to see my Angel's face. His hand however, held my shoulder, making it impossible. His grip was strong, iron-like even, a thousand times stronger than the guard's and I could tell that he would be able to crush me like I could crush an ant, effortlessly.

"Jane" He mused, stroking my skin

"Be still then, Jane my dear," came the Angel's smooth, silky voice. I could feel his breath on my face, sweet and cool. It smelled delicious, like autumn apple or roses.

I could feel the Angel bending towards me, his face hovering over my shoulder blade. He seemed to smell me, drawing in my scent. I wondered what he was doing and was just about to ask him so when I felt his frozen lips gently brush my collar bone, his hard tongue tenderly lick my skin. All of a sudden, he opened hiss mouth and sunk his teeth into my flesh.

At first I could feel nothing, curious and slightly angered that he had touched me like that. Then there was the numbness. It felt strange, like when I had accidentally sat on my leg and it had gone limp, an odd, tingling feeling taking the place of all usual feeling.

The numbness spread down my arm into my finger tips, making them tingle also. I looked around for the Angle but he was not there. I started to panic, craving his mysterious, calming presence.

That is when the burning started.


	6. Burning

It spread slowly down my shoulder and into my arms and fingers, red hot like fire after ice. It bewildered me, for I suddenly wondered if it had been hell after all. The flames surged through me, eliminating every touch of my cool handed stranger and licking at my skin.

I tried to fight against the burning, to open my eyes and yell at the Angel for doing this to me, but all was black. The foggy smoke had vanished, replace with blackness so deep it was impossible. I gasped for air but my lungs were too hot. Overcome by pain such as I had never thought of before. I was scared – no, terrified; all alone with no one to ease the terror.

The pain started to centre on my body, collecting in my heart. I struggled, trying to rid myself of the heat and flames that was so many times worse than the bonfire before. But instead of lessening, the inferno got worse, coursing through my veins and collecting in my heart until I thought it would burst. I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness, my brain seemed to die then restart with a sudden, new burst of fire.

Hotter and hotter it came. Surely it could get no hotter? But I was wrong. At that moment a great wave dizziness overcame me, sending my flying into oblivion.

I don't know how much later reality returned to me. There was no time in this endless stupor. I did know however, that the pain was spreading. Not decreasing by any means, but forcefully spreading, from my heart and gradually spreading to the other parts of my body. It surged and raged, scorching my limbs and arms, boiling my soul. I couldn't breathe; every part of me was trying to reject the pain.

"Kill me now!" I heard myself plead. Even the fire of the stake was better than this.

I tried to think of all those that had loved me and that I had loved myself, Momma, Poppa, Anna, Domenico and Alec.

Alec.

Where was he? Had he seen the Angel? Was he alright? Oh Lord, he couldn't be… I couldn't bring myself to think about it. The idea made me shudder.

Suddenly new surge of pain seized me, causing me to gasp out. Why wasn't I dying? I could feel it in my finger tips, my toes. I wanted to cry, but no tears came. Instead I screamed. A scream so high and piercing that I surprised even my self. But it did no good, for I just ran out of precious air faster and it did nothing for the pulsation of pain inside me. I was suffocating in an endless pit of darkness.

I think I must have fainted again for then next thing I knew, the pain started decreasing from the edges of my body. It pulled at me, drawing the boiling blood back to my centre, where it raged once again like a kiln. The change was so gradual that I didn't notice it at first, but soon I felt it leaving my fingers. The fire seemed to focus again in my heart, this time however, if possible, it was even hotter and more fierce than before. I felt as if I had been chucked in a smithy's furnace or grabbed hold of the wrong end of a poker.

slowly but surely the pain got steadily hotter until suddenly, when I thought I could take it no more, it vanished, leaving a dull throb, as if someone had punched where my heart was.

I lay there, in the blackness slowly taking in the sudden relief. Carefully I wiggled my fingers. Then my toes then…

"she's moving"

Alec's Voice.

I froze, all my senses –except my eyes, which I kept tight shut- were on full. I listened intensely to the sounds around me, to their breathing and rustling of clothing.

There were two males in the same room as I and a female. Just by listening I could tell that the female was standing still beside a door that was open about half an inch. The wind whistled through it causing her hair to blow softly and waft her floral scent towards me. I could also tell that there was a male sitting not far from me –Alec- and another bending over me and examining me with care.

"yes, I noticed"

the second male's voice, the one that was bending over me. His was smooth and honey like. And it sounded familiar, as if from a dream.

It was about then that I realised that the fire had not stopped completely. It was still there, but now it was at the back of my throat and not nearly so hot. It was, however, still hot enough to be very uncomfortable. Automatically I felt my arm whip up to cup my throat.

"She must be thirsty"

Alec's voice again. No, hang on. It sounded too soft, too beautiful.

"Jane?" he said, his voice alight with curiosity.

I opened my eyes.


	7. Aro

The fist thing that struck me was the light. A thousand different colours rebounded of everything, pinks, greens, yellows, blues and one other that I couldn't place. I looked around me and found that I was in a small chamber on a solid, lightly quilted bed. I sat up, dazed.

Was this Heaven?

Or was this Hell?

Or had I somehow miraculously survived the fires I had just left.

I glanced around me and was unsurprised to see a tall, jet black haired man standing close by the bed. He was clothed in a cloak of deep black satin that fell right to the floor.

"Hello my child" he said in his smooth, silky voice and immediately I recognised him as My Angel.

He lifted a long chalky white hand that was so pale it was almost translucent and gently touch my cheek. He held it there for barely more than a second before lowering it and saying;

"Why, your last assumption is true"

I frowned. _What?_

"Oh, my dear, how rude of me, I haven't introduced my self"

He paused as if contemplating the weather then in one fluid movement he bowed, flourishing his hand.

"I am Aro" he said, looking at me from under thick black eyelashes. He straightened up and tilted his head, staring at me. I gasped for his eyes were of deep crimson (**A/N hence ma penname- vampire eyes and blood. Hehe. *see profile*) **dimmed somewhat by a milky film that covered them.

Aro ignored my gasp and continued.

"I am one of three, I and my brothers, Caius and Marcus. We are the leaders of this unit, and I ask you my dear, to join our guard."

I stared at him, stunned. What on earth was he on about?

Suddenly there was a loud crash, like thunder from the opposite end of wherever we were. The noise vibrated around the room making me cry out in surprise.

"Oh for goodness sake" Aro said glaring at the door "he has _got _to be sorted out"

The last word was almost a snarl and it shocked me after the smooth, sweet voice I had been used to. Aro stood and glided out of the room so smoothly it was as if he were floating.

My eyes followed him out of the room, entranced, when something caught the edge of my vision. I looked again.

"Alec!" I exclaimed.

Suddenly I was standing in front of him, barely inches away. In the same instant that I had apparently sprung off the bed, Alec had leaped back about ten yards crouching, his position guarded. We stared at each other, both astonished at our actions, I looked into his eyes and he into mine. I gasped again.

"Your eyes!"

He frowned,

"Your eyes, they…they are the colour of blood!"

And so they were, my brother, so calm and trustworthy, had the eyes of a daemon.

"A…and your skin" I noticed, my voice dropping to not more than a whisper, "it is as white as snow"

He was beautiful.

"But Jane," he replied, wearing an expression mixed of hurt and another emotion I could not tell. "You are the same"

"No, NO!" I backed away from him, panic rising through me, the burning in my throat becoming clearer and clearer each second. I bumped into a small table and automatically gripped it with my small hands, the wood crushing between my fingers as if it was made of soft wax, not hard oak.

I spun around a sudden flare of anger coursing through me to see Alec standing there in exactly the same place as he had before.

"What are we?" I demanded jaw clenched. My voice was a growl, ripping through my throat like lightning.

Alec stared at me for what seemed like forever, his deep burgundy eyes piecing me.

"Vampires"

No sooner was the word out of his mouth I was gone, running through the door and down ornately furnished corridors and halls, everything rushing by me in a blur. I paused when I reached a large courtyard. It was dark outside but clear, a moon in the early stages of its cycle shone down surrounded by a million stars. How long had I been like this? I cast my mind back to the night we had been captured. I remembered that it would have been a full moon if it had not been so cloudy. I looked up at the sky again. _This _moon was in it's fifth night. Five days. Five days I had been in that fire.

I stood in the cobbled courtyard letting the cool air wash over my face. I was not cold, I did not feel hot.

I looked about me and saw a large fountain in the centre of the space, two intricate stone figures of a man an a woman stood in the middle of the fountain, their palms and mouths spouting jets of cool frothy water. I stared at it entranced at the way the moonlight reflected off the running water. It shimmered and glistened, the water making a soft trickling noise, like its own music. Never before had I seen such beauty.

Suddenly a fresh breeze blew up, bringing with it the most wonderus scent I had ever smelled.

I felt my self drop down onto all fours, my back legs bent. Then I was running. No flying would be a better word, gliding out of the castle and over great gates that closed the wall around it. It was effortless, as easy as lifting my hand. And it was exhilarating, the countryside flying past me. I focused on the cluster of lights, the settlement were I was headed. All I could think about was the constant burn in my throat, and the need to satisfy it.


	8. Blood

My feet skimmed the ground, barely touching it and within seconds I was at the edge of the city. The first thing that hit me was the scent. A million smells met my nostrils in less than a second; Human waste, animals, rotting corpses and blood. Human blood.

I breathed in the scent, more delicious than anything I had ever before smelled. And so close.

I ran forward into the city, looking around at the deserted streets, trying to gage were the best meal would come from. Not one hundred yards away was a small two-story house. I walked towards it slowly- well for me anyway- and paused outside the front door. There was a bedroom window just above the entrance and I could here the steady breathing of a human. I could hear and smell their blood, pulsing around their body. Warm, thick, enticing blood.

I felt the venom collecting in my mouth as I stared up at the wood framed window. I wondered if I could jump up there and suddenly I was on the windowsill, staring in on a small whitewashed room, its only occupants a dressing table, a trunk, a bed and a body.

Tentatively I pushed open the window. It was already slightly ajar due to the warm weather and it opened soundlessly. I jumped down into the chamber and quickly walked over to the bed. It was a man of about thirty years, his nightcap worn and frayed. I put out my hand, hovering it over his head, his jaw, his throat. I could see the blood rush under his skin, hot and fluid. I touched his neck, my small white hand stroking his jaw line.

Without warning he spoke, still half asleep.

"Maria?"

I fingered his throat

"No." I answered.

His eyes shot open, suddenly filled with fear and alarm.

"who-who are you?" he demanded.

"does it really matter?" I replied leaning down towards his neck.

"G-g-get of me!" he cried feebly.

I brushed my lips against his throat, smelling his scent.

"ha! As if you could make me."

And with that I sunk my teeth into his flesh.

His blood was the most wonderful thing I had ever tasted. I flowed smooth, hot and sweet over my tongue. I drank heavily, watching the man grow weak then limp, turning white from lack of blood. In less than a minuet I had drained him dry, I stood up observing my victim with a satisfied glance. He had short black messy hair and on his left finger was a ring.

"mmmmmm." I mused. "married?"

I turned and fled out of the window, jumping without hesitation this time and landing soundlessly on my feet. I stood still for a moment and once again sniffed the air.

There was a north wind blowing, catching the scent of hundreds of humans. I felt my self running again, flying through the city.

Suddenly I stopped. There was a human close by. I could sense it. The street I was in was darker than the rest, overlooked by the backs of many houses. I scanned the scene, tracing the beating heart. Slowly I walked towards the source of the scent, down a narrow ally. I rounded the corner too see another male. This one however, was not much older than myself. He turned abruptly as I stepped into a ray of moonlight. I was awareness at once of his fear.

"what's the matter?" I asked in a sweet angelic voice.

"Get away from-" he never finished his sentence. I leaped.

I bit into his neck quicker this time, eager to get to the blood underneath. It was warm and I felt it trickle down my lips and onto my chin in my haste to drink more and more. In no time at all, the young boy was a ghost white corpse. I flung him to a corner of the dirty ground eager for more, and once again began my hunt.

I had tasted many's blood by the time I had got to the opposite end of the city. My thin clothes were blood stained and the red stuff ran down my chin. The burning in my throat was almost satisfied. I was just wondering what I should do now when. I froze. Coming from a nearby house was a scent like nothing else I had ever smelled before. It was overpowering, an aroma so sweet. It was like a drug, making me dizzy, going mad for it. I didn't pause, but immediately flew to the window from which the heavenly perfume came. Hurriedly I yanked open the window, not even bothering to be quiet, desperate to taste this person's blood on my tongue, to feel the warm liquid run down my throat.

The room was vaguely familiar, as if I had seen it in a dream. I laughed a high pitched laugh at the thought, for I had worked out by now that I couldn't sleep and continued into the room. The bed in the corner was occupied by a woman this time, again she looked vaugly familiar, as if from a dream, her long dark brow hair splayed out on the thin pillow like a halo of hair, her angelic face almost as beautiful as Alec's. I hesitated now, watching her sleep, her chest moving up and down up and down. She stirred and I backed away, holding my breath in hope that she wouldn't wake up. She however, simply turned over onto her side, muttering something indistinguishable in her sleep. I approached again, forgetting my worries and touched her face, just as I had with that first man. Her eyes flickered open and she stared at me.

"Jane?" she asked in a surprised voice, but I had already pounced, managing to sink my teeth into her flesh before she could even open her mouth.


	9. Dying

I felt the blood rush into my mouth, better than _anything_ I had ever tasted. It was thick and sweet and smelled of the most divine bouquet of apples, sweetmeats and wildflowers. I drank long and deep, savouring the taste. Suddenly she cried out again.

"Jane!" she shrieked, panting.

I pulled away, annoyed that my food had yelled at me. She, however was looking at me through tear stained eyes, her pale skin white and bloodless. I could hear her heart beat, so inviting, fluttering and loud.

"it's me!" she tried, breathless and weak from lack of blood. I stared at her blankly, trying to recall her memories.

"don't you know who I am?"

I shook my head, curious.

"I'm, I'm Anna. You're sister." Big fat tears were streaming down her pretty face, spoiling her deep brown eyes.

Then the memories came flooding back, all at once, as if from a thousand years ago.

Anna. My Sister.

I looked back at her, a wave of horror flooding through me. What had I done? I stared in shock at her white, almost lifeless figure, blood pouring from the giant wound in her neck. A thousand memories flew to me in a second. When she had defended us, her soft hugs, her comforting words. Once-upon-a-time she was the soul reason I lived. And I had destroyed her, her beautiful life had only just begun and I, her undead sister had taken that from her.

What had I done?

"Do you remember me?" she whispered. I nodded, trying to will the tears that wouldn't come.

"Anna," I said, my voice cracked. "I am so sorry"

I softly stroked her neck, but this time not in a way that make me long for her blood. The burning in my throat was gone, replace by another pain unlike any I had ever felt before. It tore through me, breaking my heart, ripping it unbeating from my stone chest. It was worse than the fire of the stake, more painful than the unforgettable pain of the transformation.

"I missed you." She reflected. Her voice was so quiet even _I _was having problems hearing it. She gulped a breath of air, gasping with pain. "I thought I had lost you. Both of you"

I could hear her heart beat slowing, its initial speedy beats growing fainter and further apart. She had lost too much blood.

She paused, breathing in the hot, summer air.

"your hands are cold" she said suddenly. Her voice was louder now, causual, as if she was passing the time of day. "and your eyes, they are as red as the blood that soaks you" I looked down again to the wound in her neck.

"I am so sorry" I said, just loud enough for her too hear.

"Why?"

"For taking your life, my sister"

To my surprise she laughed, a soft cracked laugh and I could tell that it was an effort now for her just to keep breathing.

"It's not funny!" I snapped a sudden surge of anger towards her flooding through me without warning.

"But, Jane," she answered still smiling her pained smile. "Can you not see that I couldn't live without you?" there were tears falling from her eyes again. I brushed them away. "I would have died sooner or later of a broken heart, all the joy in my life had left me"

I shook my head.

"But you would have recovered." I insisted. "You could have had a life."

"no." came her reply. Her heart was barely audible now. "you two were the only reasons I lived"

I opened my mouth to protest but something stopped me. The room was silent. No breath, no rustle of bed sheets, no heart beat.


	10. Running

_Far away  
This ship has taken me far away  
Far away from the memories  
Of the people who care if I live or die_

**Starlight-Muse**

I kept on running. My feet wouldn't let me stop. They hummed across the ground taking me further and further from my home city, further from Anna. The running and steady pounding of my feet seemed to calm me, to somehow ease the guilt and sorrow tearing apart my heart. I didn't know where I was running to, nor did I care. Land and towns flashed past me, just as insignificant and irrelevant as their occupants. The bright moon hung in the velvet sky. No longer was it a symbol of hope, but death and destruction, torturing me from the inside out. I ran through settlements, some small towns I vaguely recognised from somewhere I didn't know, a life that was not mine. I didn't stop to look back but just let my small, bare, dainty feet carry me far, far away.

It was not long; maybe not even three minuets, until I noticed a change in the air. The wind was harsher, whipping at my skin like needles. It did not bother me though; I would never feel anything again. What did catch my attention however, was the scent in the air. Salt, fresh and strong. I sped up, suddenly eager to reach my destination, an idea toying with and evolving in my mind. This could be it; I would be able to rid myself of this foul life of guilt and pain I had begun. I reached the coast in a matter of seconds, the great expanse of water, tossing and turning, revealing a different side to the clear, warm night I had known. I skidded to a halt, unconsciously sensing danger. I teetered on the edge before regaining my balance, precariously stepping back away from the cliff's side. I had never been to the sea, at least not that I could remember. Of what I could recall of my human life, I had never really been of Volterra. I looked out to sea, at once captured by it's savage beauty. At first glance, the diamond waves seemed to be calm, their smooth surfaces glistening in the pure, yet terrible light of the moon. But I knew better, my inhuman eyesight saw the tossing and turning, the roughness of the waves that no one in their sane mind would venture out to. Though I felt no cold, a shiver ran up my back, the cool breeze playing with my dark ringlets, twisting them across my face. Such peace could not be for me. I thought once again of the city and the terrible life I had left behind and jumped, throwing myself out into a dark oblivion.

I was falling, my limbs flailing out in all directions, desperately hunting for a handle hold. But there was nothing, nothing but the salty air, whistling past my ears, near deafening me. Then I hit something hard, a sudden jolt of physical paint shooting through me, jarring me. I screamed, my voice high and piecing, as my body and face were smashed against the waiting rocks, there razor edges digging into my stone like skin, seeming to tear me apart almost as forcefully as my grief. Had I have been human, I would have been killed instantly, but I wasn't, I was alive, alive enough to endure the intense pain pulsating through my tiny body. Then came the water, a freezing break and very slight relief from the rocks. I gasped, my arms and legs automatically reaching for air above me. I was sinking, the bright light of moon fast becoming a shadow above me, wobbly and dim under the water. I tried to screamed, my mouth opening, water rushing in. I tried to hold in what little air I had, forcing my eyes open. Suddenly I stopped. Letting my limps become limp. My lungs weren't searing, weren't gasping for air. I was holding my breath. I floated there under the water's surface, the choppy sea drifting and dragging me away from the rocks. That is when I realised.

I hadn't needed to hold my breath before. Going without smell was too irritating.

I didn't need to breath.

Failure hit my like stone on stone, the reality of it almost worse than my grief for Anna.

I had to die.

I had to.

Slowly I sunk further and further into the void of black, rapidly thinking that it would never end. I was wrong, my injured, body suddenly hitting the ocean floor.


	11. Pardons and Welcomes

I hugged my knees to my chest avoiding the glowing gaze of the people around me. I couldn't even look at Alec; I didn't want to see the pain and grief so clear in his angelic face.

"Jane."

I looked up to see Aro squatting in front of me. His beautiful, yet terrible face was hardly inches away from me. He was scrutinising me, trying to see if he had made the right decision, his crimson eyes were so old, and wise, I felt even worse in his presence. He lightly touched my arm, but I shook it off. I think he got the message because he got to his feet and walked gracefully back towards his companions.

We were in a long, high ceiling room, with intricate patterns carved into the wooden and stone pillars that held up the roof. In the room there was me, Aro, Alec, Demetri -my guard- and seven others who I did not know the names of. Demetri was the one who had found me, Aro said he was a tracker- he had the ability to find anyone anywhere. I begrudged him for this and took a sudden, irrational dislike to the big, muscley, dark haired man. He was friendly enough I supposed. He told me that he had come from Volterra. This comforted me a little, but not much.

The other people in the room were varied. Six males and one female. Three of the males were standing around Aro and they all seemed to be having a rather earnest discussion. Out of these three, the one who caught my attention the most was a pale skinned man with light, short cropped wispy blonde hair. Not that we all weren't pale, Aro especially, but this man looked, well _younger_ than Aro I supposed, not only in his features, he couldn't have been more than twenty five, but also in his skin. It was a vibrant white, pure, not like Aro's papery, almost transparent skin. He was tall and lean with a curious express that portrayed a thirst for knowledge. But it wasn't his strange appearance that surprised me, but his eyes.

I had been so used to the crimson of my fellows, his eyes were a shock. They were gold.

At that moment I he looked up, staring at me with a mixture of curiosity and sadness., like he was sorry for me. I stared back, a wave of anger rushing through me. I didn't need his pity. I needed no ones pity. I just needed Ann…

The thought stopped dead and I snapped my eyes shut, moving my head back to its stooped position. I stayed like that for what seemed like for ever, listening to Aro, the blonde man and two others talking in a language different from my own Italian.

Oh how I wished I was back on ocean floor. To feel the water as it washed and swirled around my body, oh to drift without a care in the deep blue sea.

I was awakened from my conscious dreams to the sound of raised voices.

"She is so _young_ Aro!" the man standing on Aro's left was yelling, his voice was hushed as if he didn't want to be overheard. An invisible breeze seemed to be toying with his shoulder length hair, so white it was as pale as his translucent skin, washing it around his ancient face.

"But Caius, think of what Eleazar saw, we would be unbeatable!" at this point the gold eyed man, an average sized dark-haired man- who I later discovered was Eleazar- and the last, a taller man, his long hair the colour of jet, looked at him. The Gold eyed man looked incredulous, where as the black haired one, I struggled for a description, trying to fit his expression. Blank? It was vacant of emotion.

"Aro, she has exposed us, she…" Caius stared to reply, his crimson eyes flicking from me, back to his brother. Aro held up one slim white hand to stop him.

"details, mere details."

"You, you would use a child? For that?" the gold eyed one spoke, his voice was soft and foreign, but I couldn't pick out the accent. I glared at him, angry. I was not a child!

Suddenly he was on the floor, screaming, crying out in pain, writhing. A sudden image hit me, it was dim as if looking at it through a foggy pool.

"_ANNA!" _

_I try to scream through the piece of dirty fabric. I see her, tears streaming down her near perfect face, pleading what looks like the General to let us go. When he shakes his head Anna starts to scream in anguish, demanding and begging for us to be released. _

_Suddenly the General turns and slapps her sharply on the cheek, leaving a great red mark. I feel the anger and rage boiling inside me until I find myself wishing with all my might that I can hurt the horrible man as much as possible. I glare at him, wishing and yearning. Suddenly, he drops Alec and starts twitching, shaking and rocking forward and back uncontrollably, as if in a trance, a look of both pain and fear written across his face. What is happening? Gradually he starts to calm down, then taking several deep breaths, he collapses. _

I gasped out loud, my concentration dropping. At that same moment, the gold eyed foreigner relaxed, his muscles still slightly twitching. However after only a few seconds he was back on his feet, looking at me with amazement.

"she did that?" his eyes flicked towards aro, his calm face composed and for a moment I almost thought I saw a hint of a smirk. I glared at him, anger still pulsating through me. His smile faded, his thin lips pursing into a skeletal white line.

"yes" Aro mused.

I blinked. _I had?_

"so brothers," Aro continued, turning around to face the other two men. "what is you're verdict now?"

the zombie like black haired man blinked at Aro.

"I highly doubt that our opinions will actually affect the matter at all"

"why Marcus, how right you are" Aro smiled a sickeningly sweet smile and rubbed his hands together. "so," he spun around to face me. "have you, in your time of contemplation, considered my offer?"

I stared at him blankly. Offer?

"because im afraid if you don't" his voice was suddenly quiet and thretaning "im afraid you are no longer of any use to us"

then it came back to me.

"what does your 'guard' do?" I asked, automatically suspicious.

"well, I think by now you know what we," he paused, searching for the right word, "are. Yes, that will do. Are."

Yes, I certainly knew _that_. I threw a dark glance at Alec who was standing silently in a corner. I nodded and he continued.

"you see, they have to be kept in order, the others I mean."

"there are _others?"_

he seemed momentarily caught out by my question and cocked his head frowning.

"Of course"

"oh" I took in the information. "and by 'kept in order' you mean…" I trailed off, gesturing for him to continue.

"well, obviously the humans cant know about us, and well, occasionly they have to be _reminded _about this."

The way he said 'reminded' made me think that this may apply to me. I gulped, thinking of my hunt and suddenly knew I either had to join, or I would be no more.

"fine." I said, reluctant. I heard a sigh of of relief and looked over at Aalec, who looked as though he were about to cry with relief.

Aro smiled.

"then my child" he said, opening his thin arms to embrace me, "welcome."


	12. Beginning

_That was the beginning. The beginning of my life. From that moment I was finally accepted for who I was, enfolded in a family. I was taught how to fight, how to hunt and how to use my hateful power to its full extent. Alec and I never had a true bond again. He was distant, quiet, as if in a world of his own. I soon began to forget about the life before this one. The sight the smells, the pain, everything except Anna. She stayed with me forever, haunting my conscious nightmares, reminding me of all I had lost. The grief of her loss always hung over me, making me bitter and hatefull. Everywhere I saw happiness I felt the need to destroy it, angry that those people could enjoy it while I couldn't. I had lost everything and in gaining so much it didn't quite cover for it. My one compensation was my ability. I had complete control of anyone, they daren't go against me unless they wanted to feel the wrath of my revenge. And so I have live for over four hundred years. _

_That is how I became._


	13. Author's Note :

18/03/11

Hello there!

I have recently gone through this and edited all the Author's notes. It is something I should have done a long, _long,_ time ago, but now I have the chance.

In fact, now there are no Author's notes, as you will have realised, besides this.

Originally, this little chapter was to say

1# 'Do you want more on Anna? Do you think, as a reader, you needed to create more empathy with her to feel something when she died' (except with alot less vowels.)

2# It was alot to say: Sequal! There have been the occasional request for one, and I did think about it, but it is very unlikely to happen, even if just because I a) don't have the time and b) it was so long ago that I read 'Twilight' I would get alot of stuff wrong, and accuarcy where timelines are concerned are very important to me; I can't be bothered to read the series again, sorry. I am morally against it.

3# Thank you so much for reaching the end! And if you reviewed, thank you even more! If you haven't reviewed, like every author on here, I really appreciate it


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